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In March, another one of 18-year-old Ashley Hall's dreams came true when she was crowned Miss North Florida 2010. It was the third pageant Ashley had entered in the past two years and the first that she’s won. Finally, she felt, her life was headed in the right direction.

Pageant contestants are required to select a platform and the winner is required to promote that cause throughout her reign. Ashley chose juvenile delinquency prevention and it is a cause near and dear to her young heart.

Have you got the best mom on the planet? Has your mother sacrificed for you, loved you and supported you, and you want to find a way to say thanks?

Here’s your chance.

The Gadsden County Times is holding a Mother of the Year contest, and is seeking entries. Tell us, in 25 words or less, what makes your mom so special. Contest entries will be accepted via e-mail only, and must be received by 2 p.m. on May 1. Entries submitted after that time or exceeding the word limit will not be accepted. Submit entries to editor@gadcotimes.com.

On April 17, 1959, Jim Stone opened a little hardware business in Bainbridge, Ga. He sold nails, nuts, bolts and a few other items such as electrical and plumbing supplies. Fifty years later, the company has expanded to nine stores, with two in Florida.

"We can build a house out of here now," said Daryl Summerford, who manages the Quincy store on West Jefferson Street.

Gadsden County Extension Office agents Yolanda Goode and Lester Muralles worked with an enrichment class at Gretna Elementary School last week, teaching the students about aerospace and rocketry science.

The students learned about Newton’s Laws, and how to build a rocket to specifications. They also watched the movie, “October Sky,” and learned about the first walk on the moon in 1969.

Ozzie Williams, along with L.G. and Cora Williams, John and Mary Ford, Lillian Hover and the late Robert Hover Sr., all of Quincy, are pleased to announce the marriage of their children, Angelia Regina Williams and Stephen VaShon Hover.

The bride is a resident of Quincy and is employed by Centre Pointe Health and Rehabilitation of Tallahassee.

The groom is also a resident of Quincy and is employed by SuperValue Distributors of Quincy.

The private ceremony was held April 17 at the Gadsden County Courthouse. A reception will be held at a later date.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp paid a visit to Gretna and Chattahoochee elementary schools last Wednesday afternoon, bringing along some very special cargo – dictionaries for third and fourth grade students at both schools and a telescope for Gretna Elementary.

The telescope was the first donated by the Gammons Foundation Tomorrow’s Astronaut program. The equipment, which has been used by astronauts at NASA, will be housed at GES, but will be available for use throughout the district.

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Joseph Fenn of Greensboro, along with Prentiss Sparkman Huddleston of Tallahassee and Mary Hipley Huddleston of Albuquerque, N.M., are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Rebecca Annette Fenn and Stephen Prentiss Huddleston.

When Keith Andrews of Quincy decided he wanted to get into better shape, he determined that the icing on his physical condition “cupcake” would be helping others.

Several years ago, Andrews’ wife rode in a bike ride for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, and he decided he’d go the same route. Last year, he biked the same ride, a 100-mile ride around Lake Tahoe, and raised $5,400. His wife raised $3,500 the year she rode.

Big Bend Hospice and the Quincy Music Theatre are teaming up April 23 to honor the life of Quincy physician Dr. Jessie Furlow for a reception, silent auction, live auction and preview of the local production of "The Sound of Music." All proceeds from the third annual event will benefit Big Bend Hospice patients in Gadsden County.

Premier Bank will celebrate its fifth anniversary in its Quincy branch at 702 Pat Thomas Parkway on Friday.

The Premier Bank Quincy branch closed the year on Dec. 31, 2008 with record assets and earnings growth. At year end, branch deposits totaled $47.7 million, which represented an 8 percent increase over the previous year.

The first time Judy Poppell Cook of Havana walked in an American Cancer Society Relay for Life, she was walking for a dear friend who she'd recently lost to breast cancer. She'd been with her friend, Pati Payne, throughout most of her illness, almost up until the end. And when Cook hit the track that first time in a Relay, she had no idea that in just a couple of months, she would be diagnosed with breast cancer herself.

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Joseph Fenn of Greensboro, along with Prentiss Sparkman Huddleston of Tallahassee and Mary Hopley Huddleston of Albuquerque, N.M., are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Rebecca Annette Fenn and Stephen Prentiss Huddleston.

L. B. and Sybil Arnold of Telogia, along with Doug and Susan Ray and Dale and Mac McCall, all of Quincy, are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Traci Lynn Arnold and Zackary Boyd Ray.

The bride-elect is a resident of Quincy and is a PPSC in Tallahassee.

The groom-elect is also a resident of Quincy, and is employed at Quincy Tire and Recapping.

The wedding is planned for May 2 at the Quincy Garden Center at 6:30 p.m. No local invitations will be sent, and all family and friends are welcome.

On April 4, the 25-member JROTC drill team from East Gadsden High School competed in the 2009 National Eastern Drill Championship in Upper Malboro, Md. The cadets competed in four events in the armed division, including color guard, armed squad exhibition, armed platoon regulation and unit inspection.

A pilau dinner fundraiser is being held May 5 to benefit the Sherry Smith Fellowship, a fund that allows Gadsden County teachers the opportunity to travel all over the world to enhance their teaching experience.

Teachers can apply for the $3,000 fellowship, and the selected educator can travel to the country of his or her choice, then incorporate the experience into the classroom the following academic year. The recipient can also share the experience with students and teachers throughout the district.

Easter baskets. Just about everybody has gotten one. They can be as simple or as elaborate as the buyer would like. Sharon Harrison, who owns Baskets of Blessings, has been making these things of beauty and whimsy for the past 10 years.

"Business is good," she said. By last Sunday she and her daughter, April, had made over 100 baskets in different shapes and sizes, and she was still taking orders.

Until last Monday morning, Fredricka Bryant, a 15 year old student at West Gadsden High School, thought she was pretty savvy when it came to computer use. But she didn't know much about computer safety.

"I didn't know that people could find your address and where you live. Older men can pretend that they are girls your age and ask you to meet them at the mall or the movies and you won't know until you get there and they can hurt you," she said.

“As soon as there is a little sign of warmth, people start getting antsy. They want to work in the yard and they are ready to plant," said Alex Bolques, a horticulturist with Gadsden County Cooperative Extension Service.

He said there are different categories property owners should consider when deciding how to plant. First, there is the public landscape that people see when they pass a home or that which is readily seen by public traffic.

Every 1.3 minutes, it is estimated that a woman in the United States is raped, and one out of every four women will become a victim of sexual assault during her lifetime.

"It's these very statistics that we have to get out into the open," said Debra Lloyd, local coordinator for Refuge House, a counseling service and shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.